Problems Facing the European Union Sovereignty or Unity?

European Union

Introduction

Problems Facing the European Union Sovereignty or Unity?

Expansion

The European Union?

E.U. members listed in order of membership:

Official languages of the E.U.

The E.U. Government Structure

History, How and Why?

The Views Against the E.U.

In Conclusion

Introduction

Europe made up more than 30 countries and even more distinct cultures;

it is now trying to adjust to new economic systems throughout the world. Today

with the trend toward big trading blocks like: N.A.F.T.A. or G.N.A.T.T. Europe

is trying to advance it's old Trading block called the European Economic

Community (EEC) to become the European Union. The current membership of 15

country's is ruled by one European Parliament. Under the E.U. each country will

be under one currency called the Euro dollar (which is to come into effect on

January 1st of 1999), one central banking system, and will be regulated with the

same set of laws. In effect the country's of the E.U. will eventually become

one. The way to a unified Europe is not a easy one; problems caused by

countries unwilling to give up their sovereignties, and by countries afraid of

the new Union continually slow it's progress.

Problems Facing the European Union Sovereignty or Unity?

This raises many conflicts with Europeans. For thousands of years

Europe has been torn time and again by wars which were largely fueled by ethnic

or religious differences. Today however Europeans are asked to put aside their

differences and become one. With nationalism still strong throughout Europe

many people are strongly against the E.U. Analysts strongly suggest, however,

that the E.U. is the only way Europe can improve it's economy. Unemployment in

most of Europe is running above 10 percent and countries like Germany and France

are suffering from net investment outflows, European economies are groaning

under the weight of rigid regulation, high labor costs, high taxes and generous

social services that have become too expensive to sustain. Meanwhile, labor

protests are on the rise, companies cut costs and governments try to slash

budget deficits.

Expansion

The E.U. causes another major problem for Europe and the rest of the

world that is the expansion of the Union. Countries from the former Warsaw Pact

are eager to join the European Union but Russia is opposing that move because of

their xenophobic fears. This poses an new question for the world; Are the

satellite countries of the former Soviet Union truly sovereign states or are

they still puppet states controlled by Russia? The view today has to different

sides: the European, who are willing to accept Warsaw Pact states into NATO and

the E.U. given they meet the requirements; And the U.S. policy which is against

any expansion of NATO or the E.U. into the countries in question.

The European Union?

The European Union is the name of the organization for the countries

that have decided to co-operate on a great number of areas, ranging from a

single market economy, foreign policy's, same sets of environmental laws,

mutual recognition of school diplomas, to exchange of criminal records are among

the few (The E.U. is roughly similar in working to the United States of America.

The states being Countries and the U.S. the E.U.) The E.U. currently includes

15 countries and has 11 official languages, and many more internal ones. E.U.

has noted , however, that the current eleven official working languages will be

unworkable; an expansion to sixteen or more (with some former Eastern Bloc

countries joining) will be impossible. It is therefore expected, in my view,

that the number of working languages will be limited to three (English, French

and German) or five (with Italian and Spanish).

A little known fact about the European Union's flag is that it has only

12 stars. The stars are not meant to represent countries. Rather, the number of

twelve stars was chosen to be a symbol of completeness and of unity, as it

corresponded to the number of stars in the zodiac, the number of months in the

year and (for the purpose of winning over the mainly Christian European people)

to the number of Jesus's apostles.

E.U. members listed